Why Ritza Thread?

[Gosut]

On 2/21/2024 at 11:40 AM, tsunkasapa said:

I tried that pierced thread thing once, about 25 years ago. Never did it again. I have found it to be totally unnecessary. YMMV

I did on my first two projects, one of them stitching together a belt keeper. Since then, I place the needles a little less than a quarter of the way from the ends of the thread and allow it to slip through as needed as I stitch. It makes a lot of thread to pull through the hole, but i don't have to contend with pulling a long length of thread at the start of the stitching.

That said, for a small project without an unwieldy amount of thread, I'd probably lock down the thread.

Edited February 22, 2024 by Gosut
Corrected misspelled word.

[Gosut]

17 hours ago, SUP said:

French pricking irons take too much work, . Imagine a backpack done that way! or something bigger!

As luck would have it, that's what I'm considering now. Toying with the notion of making a thicker work belt and/or reversible belt, and both will require stitching. Daunting to say the least.

[SUP]

@Gosut makes sense for a belt though. A narrow strip of leather, the stitching will be visible, so might as well make it beautiful. And think of how smug you will feel once it is done!  Smug, not just satisfied. LOL I would, with all the stitching work involved.

[DJole]

On 2/20/2024 at 7:39 PM, SUP said:

But really! Such an expensive thread and then needing to go through all this trouble - thread the needle in a particular way, sew in a particular way, lay the thread in  a particular way. Unless they have a color that I cannot get from any other brand, it's just not worth the trouble at this point, at least to me. 

I rarely, if ever, knot the thread onto my needles. I find it more bother than it's worth, personally, if I need to take out some stitches. I also haven't bothered to lay the thread in a particular way. I guess I'm not that much of a perfectionist!
I just recently bought some Vinymo thread to work with (round polyester thread from Japan)-- good colors and a variety of thicknesses. I've been pleased with it so far, although I do find it necessary to lightly wax it before using it. 
I have a variety of thread to work with-- Ritza flat braid, Vinymo round, waxed Irish linen in a variety of colors, a spool of Since linen thread, chunky waxed Tandy thread (which came in only 3 colors, and which I rarely use now,)and a sampler box from Maine Thread. Different projects use different thread types, after all!

[DieselTech]

This is what I think is funny. These are all budget diamond stitching chisels. All 4mm spacing or so they say on them. All saddle stitched with a right hand cast over & .55mm poly-braid thread. 

Look at how they all appear. The tandy 4mm stitching chisels have a huge spacing difference compared to the other 2 brands. 

[SUP]

28 minutes ago, DieselTech said:

The tandy 4mm stitching chisels have a huge spacing difference compared to the other 2 brands. 

Did you measure to check which is the most accurate?

I made a bag from Dieselpunk recently where he suggested that we use a 6mm stitching chisel set, sine he had set the stitching holes accordingly.  Tried mine from Amazon -  the distances were slightly off. I could only use the 2 tine one but at least it cut the punching time in half. He uses Sinebrok. No idea which is more accurate and not buying expensive chisels.

Edited February 22, 2024 by SUP

[Danne]

15 hours ago, DieselTech said:

Yeah I just decided I'm going to order a set of KS Blade v2 diamond pricking irons. Expensive, but I hear good things about them. The diamond is slimmer on them. 

I don't think you will be disappointed, I have the V1 and they are awesome. The holes from Kevinlee premium is as good as Ksblade, but the advantage of Ksblade is their ergonomy, and also very easy to align against a scribed line, since the prongs are slightly rounded at the end.

Edit: I saw you wrote diamond, I have the French irons, but from what I've seen on Instagram their diamond stitching irons are also awesome.

Edited February 22, 2024 by Danne

[DieselTech]

10 minutes ago, SUP said:

Did you measure to check which is the most accurate?

I made a bag from Dieselpunk recently where he suggested that we use a 6mm stitching chisel set, sine he had set the stitching holes accordingly.  Tried mine from Amazon c- the distances were slightly off. I could only use the 2 tine one but at least it cut the punching time in half. He used Sinebrok. No idea which is more accurate and not buying expensive chisels.

No I never put my calipers on the tandy chisels to measure them. They look closer to 6mm to me than 4mm. I might do that today when I get in the leather room. 

[DieselTech]

6 minutes ago, Danne said:

I don't think you will be disappointed, I have the V1 and they are awesome. The holes from Kevinlee premium is as good as Ksblade, but the advantage of Ksblade is their ergonomy, and also very easy to align against a scribed line, since the prongs are slightly rounded at the end.

Edit: I saw you wrote diamond, I have the French irons, but from what I've seen on Instagram their diamond stitching irons are also awesome.

Yeah everybody I've talked to, says they love their KSBlade chisels & pricking irons. Stupid priced thou for a full set. Lmao what ain't expensive anymore. Even McDonald's!

Everybody I've spoke to, thinks the KSBlade chisels really refined their stitch work. 

[sparctek]

3 hours ago, SUP said:

@sparctek I thought all pricking irons are like the traditional ones. If the ones by Kevin Lee and Amy Roake and other allow punching through the leather, that is one good reason to buy their instruments. I do not use leather thicker than 5-6 oz anyway so they should work for me. Usually I avoid expensive tools - seem to do perfectly well with more reasonably priced ones. I am a hobbyist too and I guess if I was doing this professionally, the tools would matter more.

When you say 'and others', who else, do you know?

@Mablung I learnt how to use the edge of the leather for punching holes on both sides from one of the patterns I bought online. Don't remember where. If I have to do it, I use an iron with round tines since I do not have opposite facing angled irons.

Rocky Mountain has some: https://www.rmleathersupply.com/products/rocky-mountain-premium-pricking-irons?variant=33226012360813

But, so do other supplier like Maker's Leather Supply, etc. I think for the most part they come from the same manufacturer overseas. The key is the prongs are longer and narrower than the traditional ones. That let's you punch all the way through without making a huge hole in the front. I looked at the KSBlade ones when I was looking to buy mine, but the teeth on those seem to be wider.